On May 20, a surprise awaited Europe's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invited her to his residence for an intimate meeting with only a handful of participants. Before going into the meeting, Netanyahu gave a statement for the cameras: His commitment to a two-state solution was alive and well. He supports the establishment of a demilitarized Palestinian state. The leaks from the meeting itself indicate that behind closed doors, the prime minister went even further, saying he wished to conduct a territorial discussion with Palestinian authorities, even hinting at his willingness to freeze construction in areas outside of the settlement blocs. Israeli media outlets reported that Netanyahu seems to have said in the meeting that he is interested in renewing negotiations to reach understandings on the limits of the settlement blocs that would be annexed to Israel in the framework of a future agreement.

We have heard many a statement from Netanyahu in favor of establishing a Palestinian state. We have also heard statements to the contrary. To refresh readers’ memory, here is a short compilation reflecting Netanyahu’s twists and turns regarding the two-state solution. In 1994, during the stormy opposition to the Rabin government and the Oslo Accord, which he has championed, Netanyahu claimed that the agreement presages a disaster for the Jewish people. In 1996, during the campaign that culminated in his election, candidate Netanyahu vowed that if elected, he would honor that very agreement.

In 2002, the once and future prime minister admitted that he had done all in his power to undermine the agreement. In 2009, he reiterated his rhetorical commitment to the two-state solution in his Bar-Ilan speech. And now, this year supplies an even sharper and faster flip-flop: In mid-March, on the last leg of his election campaign, the prime minister declared that if elected, a Palestinian state would not be established. Two months on, he makes it clear to the European representative that her vision is his too. No wonder that along with the satisfaction she expressed about the “successful” meeting, as she put it, Mogherini also asked Netanyahu for “steps on the ground that will back up your declarations and show commitment to a solution of two states for two peoples.”

To assess the likelihood of such practical steps, Al-Monitor spoke this week with three senior advisers on diplomacy and defense, on condition of anonymity. At the time, each had spent lengthy periods at negotiating tables and whispered in the ears of the Israelis who conducted the negotiations. Here is the thrust of their analyses.